Moving (suddenly!) to DC/Columbia Heights, what great (or good) PK3 can we get into mid July?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid the DCJCC at all cost: very expensive and entirely incompetent. The director of the school has no clue on what a preschool should be. Chaos. This place is pure chaos.

As people said at this point you may want to settle for a "quick" and temporary solution.
I would also suggest some home-based day care in the neighborhood. Usually for younger kids but open year around, with 7 AM to 6 PM schedule and on a "month-by-month" basis.
Not the perfect solution (lack of playground, not a huge amount of stimuli, ...) but could be a life saver until you get in the place you want.

Respectfully but completely disagree with your assessment of dcjcc. It's a fantastic learning environment with Reggio Emilio program. Our dc and numerous friends' children have benefitted from their loving and child-centered program!

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of people who use private daycares in DC despite the fact that they have now extended public schools to PK-3. And because at least some families use DCPS at this age, there is more availability in private preschools/daycares than there used to be. (I know because I've had kids at a great DC preschool/daycare for the past 8 years and they now actively seek 3yo applications whereas the waiting list for the infants room is years long.) If you're able and willing to consider paying for childcare, you should ask for recommendations on the preschool/daycare forum here in addition to trying your fates with DCPS and the charters. The advantage of course is that many (not all) private preschools are year-round; the disadvantage is that it will set you back somewhere in the range of $1200-1600 per month. And fwiw, disregard the DC JCC booster here. This is a daycare that left a child at a park last year and didn't even realize it. If you're going to fork over money for preschool, you at least want an environment where they don't abandon small children in public places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks again. We'll apply to Appletree immediately.

3 more questions:

1. Is DC Bilingual the same as Centronia? It looks like they're the same school but I don't think I saw anything actually named "DC Bilingual" - want to make sure I have right place (even if it's a longshot).

2. What do people think of Shining Stars Montessori, am I right that it seems to be public/free, and how hard/impossible is it to get in there? I haven't seen in mentioned so far in the threads I've read....

3. A few people (including staff at Haynes) have suggested we look at Center City. But that looks like a charter school too, which I assume will have similar impossible odds as other charters. Is there something about Center City that makes it more likely to get into, since a few people (here and on phone) have suggested it? What do you guys think of it as a school?

I don't know about the first two, but you may have a chance at Center City. Only the very good charters are that difficult to get into. Center City is not very good, many would say that it isn't good at all. But, I don't really know how it is. Apply and then go check it out yourself. It might be good enough for a year, but I doubt it will be a long-term solution (which all of the others, except Appletree, could be).

[Anonymous]

MV moved through only a handful of spaces last year on their PK-3 wait list of well over 200. This year they have around 450 on the wait list currently. No hope. I'm guessing CM will be the similar. They have about the same number of applicants as MV's first year and huge wait lists. You can fill an application online though which is short and easy. Also Center City Petworth doesn't have 3 year old program. I would try Rosemount Center or Little Flower Montesorri or DPR Coops. Maybe home based day care or nanny share? Childcare in DC is a ton of options but can be overwhelming to navigate and it can take a long time to get into the program you'd like.

[Anonymous]

Apply to creative minds and inspired teaching both are free charters in the area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apply to creative minds and inspired teaching both are free charters in the area

Yes, apply, but don't expect to get in.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree that you should get on the lists of all the charters you can, but don't expect anything from the popular ones - unfortunately, the timing of your move is working against you. In the interim, my son went to Amazing Life Games (that another PP mentioned) for a year before we got into a charter - we, and he, loved it. We still go to the auction every year.

Welcome to the neighborhood - we have lived in CH for 8 years, and love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apply to creative minds and inspired teaching both are free charters in the area

...and if she does, her child will be ~#330 on the waitlist for PS3 at Inspired Teaching.

[Anonymous]

Try Easter Seals Columbia Heights - it is a daycare but has a preschool program which I believe is Universal PreK and funded by DC for 3-4 year olds. Not sure what the waitlist will be like for 3 year olds.

[Anonymous]

OP,
If you're starting in July, you might want to focus your energy on immediate daycare. Try not to worry about the school situation until you're a little more familiar with the complexities of school choice in DC. (CentroNia vs DC Bilingual is classic example. Same organization, different programs.)

Best sources are usually the folks on your block, in the playground, and at work. You can try to cross reference on the DCUM daycare/preschool forum for opinions on specific PS3 programs. [Note, the term PK usually = 4 year olds. PS usually = 3 year olds. Age cutoffs may vary by program but most are Sept 30.]

There are a few early childhood programs on p 161. http://www.greatschools.org/res/pdf/DC/DC_School_Chooser_2012-2013.pdf It also has detailed info and FAQs on education in general in DC. Can't vouch for 100% accuracy, but it's a start from an objective source because it covers public, charter, and private.

Unless you have a high tolerance for ambiguity, the charter and DCPS waitlist movement can drive you crazy. You may not hear about a spot until October. (Yes, people do switch schools almost 2 months after start of the year.)

In the meantime, welcome to Ward 1 and enjoy the summer!

[Anonymous]

You can also reach out to traditional DCPS schools near you that have PS3 programs and see what the status is there. I am speaking of schools like HD Cooke, Garrison, and Marie-Reed. No, they are not schools that people are dying to get into but they are schools that are up-and-coming. Since enrollment forms were due on June 1, they might be able to tell you how many people they think will move off the wait list.

You can always put your name on at these places and others and see what happens. The bad part is that tomorrow is the last day of school so you don't have much opportunity to meet with teachers or check out the schools in action.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I would recommend West Education Campus in 16th St Heights- just a little north of Columbia Heights. They have a great pre-s program with small classes and a diverse make-up of students. You can usually get in out of boundary late in the game (several parents in Petworth/CH send their kids there). It is our in-boundary school and we sent our little one there for PS3 and she (and we) loved it. I would have been happy to keep here there another couple of years but we got into one of the well regarded charters that will be a better fit long term. But if you are looking for a one to two year solution def check out West. They don't get a lot of attention on this forum but I think its a great little school!

[Anonymous]

Chiming in to recommend Apple Tree. Have only heard fabulous things about it from many many people.

[Anonymous]

Also consider Barnard in Petworth. They have a waitlist, but it's moving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks again. We'll apply to Appletree immediately.

3 more questions:

1. Is DC Bilingual the same as Centronia? It looks like they're the same school but I don't think I saw anything actually named "DC Bilingual" - want to make sure I have right place (even if it's a longshot).

2. What do people think of Shining Stars Montessori, am I right that it seems to be public/free, and how hard/impossible is it to get in there? I haven't seen in mentioned so far in the threads I've read....

3. A few people (including staff at Haynes) have suggested we look at Center City. But that looks like a charter school too, which I assume will have similar impossible odds as other charters. Is there something about Center City that makes it more likely to get into, since a few people (here and on phone) have suggested it? What do you guys think of it as a school?

1) Yes, it's the same place.

2) Do a search on here, someone posted about it relatively recently. I think they said the location of the school is changing and won't work for them anymore, but that they liked the school.

3) Center City isn't as good as the others, so you have a better chance getting in.

You might also want to look at Garrison ES. There's a committed group of parents trying to improve the school, they're getting a new principal, and the wait list is probably not that long so I think you'd have a shot at getting in. Marie Reed is another that you might look into.

Good luck!